Cândido Alves Moreira da Costa (born 30 April 1981) is a Portuguese former footballer who played mainly as a right winger.
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Cândido Alves Moreira da Costa | ||
Date of birth | (1981-04-30) 30 April 1981 (age 41) | ||
Place of birth | São João da Madeira, Portugal | ||
Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
Position(s) | Wingback | ||
Youth career | |||
1990–1996 | Sanjoanense | ||
1996–1999 | Benfica | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1999 | Salgueiros | 9 | (0) |
2000–2001 | Porto B | 19 | (2) |
2000–2004 | Porto | 33 | (3) |
2003 | → Vitória Setúbal (loan) | 12 | (0) |
2003–2004 | → Derby County (loan) | 34 | (1) |
2004–2006 | Braga | 29 | (0) |
2006–2010 | Belenenses | 79 | (1) |
2010–2011 | Rapid București | 12 | (0) |
2011–2012 | Arouca | 0 | (0) |
2012 | Tondela | 2 | (0) |
2013–2014 | São João Ver | 12 | (0) |
2014–2015 | Ovarense | 17 | (2) |
Total | 258 | (9) | |
National team | |||
1997 | Portugal U15 | 6 | (1) |
1996–1998 | Portugal U16 | 14 | (2) |
1998 | Portugal U17 | 8 | (0) |
1998–1999 | Portugal U18 | 18 | (5) |
2001 | Portugal U20 | 4 | (1) |
2000–2004 | Portugal U21 | 25 | (5) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
He amassed Primeira Liga totals of 162 games and four goals over ten seasons, representing in the competition Salgueiros, Porto, Vitória de Setúbal, Braga and Belenenses. He also competed professionally in England and Romania.
Costa was born in São João da Madeira, Aveiro District. Having started his football career with the youth teams of S.L. Benfica, he switched to FC Porto after a brief stint with S.C. Salgueiros (where he made his Primeira Liga debut, in 1999–2000). In his first full season at Porto he contributed with 18 games and two goals in the league, but the title was lost in the penultimate round to neighbours Boavista FC.
After not being able to fully break into the first team (having also served a six-month loan stint at Vitória F.C. and a full one with Derby County of the Football League Championship, the latter in the 2003–04 campaign,[1] where he scored once against West Bromwich Albion),[2] Costa joined S.C. Braga for 2004–05, also not being successful in two seasons – a combined 29 league appearances.
Costa, who had started his career as a winger, joined C.F. Os Belenenses in the 2006–07 season, ultimately reconverting into the right back position[3] and becoming an undisputed starter for the Lisbon-based team, with nearly 75 league matches in his first three years, scoring against F.C. Paços de Ferreira on 18 March 2007 in a 2–0 away win.[4]
After only appearing in 11 games in the 2009–10 season due to constant injuries, with Belenenses returning to the second level, 29-year-old Costa had his second abroad experience, signing with Liga I side FC Rapid București.
Porto